Pandora Unchained - B1C64: Probing

The long weekend is coming up, so I'm uploading three chapters at once. Happy New Year!
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Sorin spent the next three days concocting all manner of poisons. He cleared the simpler poisons required by the outpost's physicians out first, then moved on to custom requests by the Adventurers Guild. The Governor's Manor's request was the least profitable venture. It was focused solely on killing instead of healing and was, therefore, the lowest on Sorin's priority list.

It was impossible for an apothecary to sustainably concoct poisons all day. Breaks and rests were needed, and sleep requirements rose with the strain on one's spirit. Sorin, therefore, spent much downtime between batches of poison doing mathematics. His end goal: calculating the ideal 9th poison.

In the end, stone melt and bone melt poisons are best for what I'm going for, thought Sorin, tapping a pen to a piece of paper. He had a headache from manipulating Lorimer's earth flame. He wouldn't be able to continue doing so for the remainder of the evening.

Nothing short of a top 1-star poison will do, but none of these poisons are available in the outpost, Sorin continued. The only option is to 'grow' my own poisons. This would involve first creating a low-level poison, then feeding it compatible poisons until its potency increased to the desired level.

Three days of continuous concoction had proved quite lucrative to Sorin. He'd managed to make 1700 gold by fulfilling requests, more than half of the requisite 3,000 gold he would need to grow a suitable poison. He shuddered at how much it would cost to concoct a suitable 10th poison.

It was eight in the evening when Sorin heard a knock on the laboratory door. Thinking a one-star alchemist needed reagents again, he yawned and made his way over to the entrance. Yet before he could arrive, the door opened to reveal a familiar two-star alchemist, Alchemist Avery, whom Sorin had been trying with all his might to avoid. Avery had, after all, conspired with the governor's manor to have him arrested on false charges following his attempted assassination.

Sorin's mind raced to find a solution to his predicament; if a two-star alchemist wanted him dead, there was little he could do to resist. Fortunately, the worst didn't come to pass. Instead, the alchemist snorted and turned around, leaving the door open for another individual. "The one you are looking for is here, Physician Marcus. Do make sure to inspect yourself for potential contamination when leaving the premises."

Having been introduced and let inside, Marcus walked into the restricted laboratory, taking extra care to keep his pristine white robes away from the vats of chemicals closest to the entrance. "I paid a visit to your manor, but Percival told me you practically live here," said Marcus. "But this is convenient, too. The guild is much easier to get to than your residence."

"What do you want?" asked Sorin wearily.

"Not going to say hello or offer me something to drink?" asked Marcus. "Oh. Right. Lab rules. I always hated them. And I see you've taken your new occupation to heart and are making money hand over fist. It's good to look ahead instead of dwelling on the past."

"What do you want, Marcus?" Sorin reiterated. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm swamped."

"Yes, I see you're very busy resting your drained spirit," said Marcus. His eyes flickered to the paper on the table. "Brainstorming poison recipes. Admirable. You can't just wait for opportunities to fall on your lap – true cultivators create opportunities."

"What do you want?" asked Sorin a third time. "If you don't say it soon, I'll have you evicted."

Marcus shrugged. "I've come to obtain your assistance, of course. A consultation, if you will."

Sorin directly held out his hand. "Consultation fee."

Marcus's mouth twitched, but he reached into his belt pouch and took out a card worth 100 gold. "Will this suffice?"

"It's enough to start the conversation," said Sorin. He gestured for Marcus to take a seat at his desk.

"I have a case," said Marcus, accepting the seat. "A female patient. Bone forging realm. She is 52 years old and belongs to an organization called the Nighthawks. She has awoken abruptly from her latest round of seclusion and experienced cultivation deviation. Though she survived, her cultivation is currently in a crippled state.

"As you can imagine, the outpost puts great importance on her recovery. There are less than 30 bone-forging experts in the entire outpost, and each one is a strategic asset. I therefore prioritized this case and inspected her body and discovered obstructions in her meridians.

"I attempted to dislodge the obstruction, as continued obstruction would be highly detrimental to the patient. Ultimately, however, I decided to abort the process since there was a high risk of worsening her condition and even killing her."

Sorin frowned when he heard this. A blocked meridian? Do you think I'm a child that can't see what you're doing? "I'd need to inspect the patient to make a determination," he replied after a lengthy wait. "I can't think of any tinctures or potions that can aid the situation."

"How unfortunate," said Marcus. "Many lives depend on this. As you well know, a bone forging cultivator is a powerhouse that even ten elite blood condensation cultivators would have trouble fighting."

"I understand the severity of the situation," said Sorin. "And I didn't say I had no solutions. I just need to personally inspect the elder."

"So that's the case," said Marcus, his smile deepening. "If you can come up with a solution, I'm sure the Nighthawks will reward you handsomely."

"I definitely won't hold back," said Sorin. "No matter the reward." In other words, some things couldn't be bought with money.

The two checked out of the Alchemists Guild and made their way to the west and of the settlement. They arrived at a walled manor guarded by two blood condensation cultivators. "It's me, Physician Marcus," said Marcus when they arrived. "I've secured a helper and would like to give healing the madame's condition another attempt."

The two guards exchanged a look before one of them ran inside the building. "Apologies, but these are sensitive times," said the guard who remained. "We must obtain permission before anyone enters or leaves the premises."

"Very understandable," said Marcus. "Hopefully, this won't take long."

The guard returned two minutes later and nodded to his companion. "They can both enter but must register before entering." Both Sorin and Marcus took out their identity plates and professional emblems. They quickly scanned over Marcus's credentials before looking over Sorin's with great scrutiny. "An apothecary? Only one star?"

"Trust me, this is the helper I need," said Marcus. "If he can't help, we'll need to call another high-ranking two-star physician from a nearby city. The cost and time involved will be astronomical, especially given how closely the timetable aligns with the demon tide."

"If you insist, Physician Marcus," said the guard. "Please follow me to the madam's chambers." He led Sorin and Marcus into a luxurious manor. The walls were covered in tasteful and expensive paintings, and gold trim could be seen even in the textured wallpaper. That wasn't even counting the dozens of gold-plated candlesticks Sorin spotted burning expensive scented candles or the gold-decorated porcelain that was proudly displayed in the living room cabinet.

The guard had them take off their shoes and led them up carpeted stairs. The house was warm, even in the hallways, thanks to carefully inscribed spell runes that circulated air between the top and bottom floors.

They passed a library, a study, and six guest rooms before arriving at the master bedroom, where two more guards had been posted. The guards scrutinized their identification documents before instructing them to enter.

Sorin found the patient lying on her bed, deathly pale but otherwise brimming with potential power. There was a disconnect, however; this power could not be brought to bear.

"I brought a helper along in the hopes that he might have a solution to your condition, Lady Duchene," said Marcus as he made his way over to the bed. He placed his hand on her forehead, then tapped a few locations on her body. Her symptoms were instantly alleviated with the introduction of two-star life mana. "Unfortunately, all I can do with my limited abilities is temporarily ameliorate your vitals. As you know, this isn't a sustainable solution. It's better to resolve the problem quickly rather than waiting 2 weeks for another physician to arrive."

The lady in the bed sight softly. She was a beautiful woman with not the slightest wrinkle despite being in her early fifties. The streaks of white hair on her head were a symptom of her current health problems.

"Let him take a look and see if he can sort me out," said Lady Duchene. "Though I'll be honest, I am not optimistic about this attempt of yours. There's nothing a blood-thickening cultivator can do to improve my condition."

"Sorin Kepler, One-Star Apothecary, at your service," said Sorin, bowing lightly before approaching the lady. He first placed his hand on several key acupoints to map out her mana circulatory system. Then, he used Ophidian Eye to confirm the obstructions in her mana flow.

"There are obstructions in her large intestine, heart, and spleen meridians," said Sorin to Marcus. "There is also a minor obstruction in her Belt Vessel, but this problem will resolve itself over time."

"Can you do anything to clear these out?" asked Marcus. "I know of many different treatment methods, but nothing that can help against these specific blockages." Sorin nearly rolled his eyes at the apparent aim of his comments.

Indeed, these blockages were akin to 'natural' blockages. Sorin immediately determined that these were caused by debris from within the lady's body that had been shaken loose via the sudden interruption in her cultivation. They were not caused intentionally.

"I have a solution," Sorin directly admitted. "But unfortunately, it's a little experimental. There is a risk of damaging her meridians during the process. Judging by the state of her body, she will be unable to heal from this damage.

"Moreover, the situation is worse than you described. Lady Duchene's cultivation isn't just crippled – her life is also slowly draining away. If this isn't resolved, she'll die within the next two months. The longer we take to treat her, the more her life span will drain away. Every day that goes by will drain away a single year of her lifespan."

Noticing that the lady didn't show any surprise at this matter and was likely already aware, Sorin turned to Marcus. "Let me be frank. I can use a certain poison to clear her obstructions, but her meridians can't withstand the treatment. Do you have any way to heal meridians or perhaps shield them?" His message was simple: he had access to the tincture formula, but he'd need something in return.

"Healing meridians is beyond what I'm capable of," said Marcus, frowning. "As you well know, this sort of thing relies mostly on one's natural regeneration capabilities."

Or someone with a python's regeneration prowess, thought Sorin, though he didn't voice any objections to Marcus's statement.

"Likewise, I recommend against meridian strengthening concoctions since they simultaneously strengthen and embrittle meridians," continued Marcus. "The mere shock of dislodging an obstruction might cause them to shatter."

"So you don't have a solution?" asked Sorin. "That's a pity because I'm truly helpless if you can't help me with this small matter."

"There is a way to support her meridians," said Marcus hesitantly. "I haven't used the procedure much myself, but I believe I have a 95% chance of succeeding. The process is called a mana stent. It's an inner protective layer that a physician coats over a patient's meridians. The coating is intentionally tough and malleable, making it easy to retrieve and unlikely to burst if damaged."

A stent, thought Sorin. He knew of such things but only knew of physical stents. They were largely impractical things used on the heart. Typically, such supports weren't needed since damage to the heart could quickly be healed with life mana. "If you can reinforce the section of meridian one foot in either direction of the obstruction, I can attempt to dissolve the obstruction. "But you should know that Lady Duchene is a bone-forging cultivator and that my solution involves my own personal mana. It's a huge imbalance in strength."

"It's not a concoction?" asked Marcus, confused.

"Not a concoction," confirmed Sorin. "I'm sure you understand how difficult it is to shape mana inside an active meridian."

"Can't he just peel my mana away?" mumbled Lady Duchene. "I had a physician do that for me once to treat a bad case of corruption."

"This…" Marcus nodded slowly. "Since we're at a similar cultivation level, I can give it a try. This shouldn't be too difficult since mana flow has already been interrupted. Your thoughts, Sorin?"

"If you can clear her mana, my odds of success shoot up to 80%," said Sorin. "In truth, it was close to 90%, but Sorin didn't want to overplay his hand.

"Then prepare for the procedure," instructed Marcus. "I'll begin by peeling back the patient's mana." He then placed a finger on Lady Duchene's abdomen and injected a thick stream of life mana. The color drained from the lady's skin as her flesh lost the blocked meridian's support. Her flesh began to wither as the surgery's countdown began.